Pirro: Agent shot at DC gala dinner by suspect's gun

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said on Sunday that the government has evidence that a federal agent was shot by the suspect in custody during an alleged attempt to assassinate President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner last weekend.

“We now can establish that a pellet that came from the buckshot from the defendant’s Mossberg pump-action shotgun was intertwined with the fiber of the vest of the Secret Service officer,” Pirro said during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union.” 

“It is definitively his bullet,” Pirro said.

Cole Tomas Allen is accused of storming a security checkpoint and firing a shotgun in the foyer leading to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on April 25. Allen is charged with attempted assassination, discharging a firearm during a crime of violence and illegally transporting guns and ammunition across state lines. He has not yet entered a plea.

Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Sunday there could be more charges filed as the investigation continues.

“I expect in the next week or so, there will be more information coming out. Obviously, assuming the investigation moves forward, there will be an indictment forthcoming. And all that is typical of what happens,” Blanche said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Suspect’s attorney wants him taken off suicide watch

An attorney for Allen is seeking the removal of suicide precautions while the Torrance, California, man remains jailed.

In a motion filed Saturday in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia, federal public defender A. J. Kramer argued that Allen is being unlawfully punished by his continued confinement in a padded cell despite multiple assessments that found no indications of suicide risk.

“Mr. Allen is forced to be escorted to the shower, strip searched when entering and exiting his cell, and wear a padded vest while inside,” Kramer wrote. “These conditions are excessive restrictions on his liberty that serve no justifiable purpose and deprive Mr. Allen of dignity while incarcerated.”

A hearing on the motion is scheduled for noon Monday before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Zia M. Faruqui in federal court in Washington. A court filing says a representative from the U.S. Department of Corrections will appear at the hearing.

Neither Kramer nor the U.S. Department of Justice responded to email questions Sunday.

Allen is being held in the District of Columbia jail prior to trial after agreeing to ongoing detention during an April 28 hearing.

According to the motion, Allen was assigned to a “safe cell,” defined as a padded room with constant lighting, and is required to wear a vest “akin to a strait jacket,” not to leave the cell except for legal or medical visits and to be strip-searched upon entry and exit.

During intake on April 27, Allen was initially advised he would be in a safe cell even though a member of the intake team “did not note any suicide risk factors,” the motion said.

He was assessed again on April 28 and, despite a second assessment finding no suicide risk factors, was upgraded to suicide “watch,” with a requirement for dimmed lights and no access to phone calls or jail tablets to communicate with anyone outside the jail, according to the motion.

Kramer wrote that he visited Allen on April 28 and was assured he would be placed in a regular cell by Thursday or Friday. The next day, a third assessment found no signs of suicide risk, but Allen was only restored to suicide precaution.

As of Saturday, Kramer said he still believed Allen was on suicide precaution.

Reuters and The Los Angeles Times contributed to this report.

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect.

This story was originally published May 3, 2026 at 11:38 AM.